


Mrs Beckett

by Diabolical_Pink_Bunny



Series: Stargate: Atlantis. Season 6 [8]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-13
Updated: 2015-01-07
Packaged: 2018-03-01 08:06:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2765831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diabolical_Pink_Bunny/pseuds/Diabolical_Pink_Bunny
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They were hitched: finally. All of them. John Sheppard had seen to that: as Valentines day drew near, he had decided every couple still unwed (and planning to marry soon) on Atlantis should be married that day in a mass ceremony. That day Laura Cadman had married Carson Beckett, and Jennifer Keller had married his twin, Duncan. But whereas every other couple was off on their honeymoon, the Becketts had stayed home on Atlantis, for someone very dear to them was very sick and they knew time was against them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

For a moment Laura Cadman lay with her eyes closed, taking in the incredible silence of Atlantis. Having grown up in a number of different towns and cities, as well as having served in such far-off places as the Gulf back on earth, she was familiar with the idea that there really wasn't anywhere one could go that there was complete silence. Even in the desert on earth there had been the constant sound of the wind and sand. In the cities she had lived in as a child, she had often lain awake like this and listened to the never-silent night. She remembered how late at night there would have been the sound of cars and busses, of people walking by on the street and someone, somewhere, playing their music. When her family had moved to the country she had realised that the night there was just as busy as in the city, only with different sounds. At night there would be the sound of wind and the rustle of the leaves on the large tree outside her window. A family of night-time birds had had a nest in that tree and she would hear them sing to one another during the summer months.

But here on Atlantis the silence was complete, almost oppressive. Even though their room was in the spire where a great number of the inhabitants lived, the city slept this time of night. Only a few members of the control-room crew would be awake and they were far enough removed that she would not be able to hear them. Perhaps once, when the city had been home to millions of people, had it been possible that the city was never really quiet. But even with the people they had brought from earth and the children from M7G-677, the city was scarcely populated. Also, the city was submerged, which meant she was denied even the sound of the surf and the wind.

After a moment's silent reflection she realised the string of beads she wore in her hair had ended up under her cheek and was making her uncomfortable. With a finger she hooked the string under her face and pulled it out, thankful for the small sound the beads made as they tapped against one another. She was one of the few that already had her entire collection of beads – such as it was for the moment. After the ceremony on the Assembly Pier a few months back, where everyone had chucked their flag patches and ID tags, they needed something else for identification. It was Sophia, the jeweller, who had pointed out that they already had a system in place for such identification. That night on the Assembly Pier everyone had been given a blue crystal bead (which she and her two young assistants had made). Atlantis also had the ability to grow new crystal as well as the ability to program those crystals, seeing as Atlantis ran on crystal technology. So why not grow crystals that can function as ID tags?

This was why Sophia had been busy growing some interesting crystals these past few months. The crystals were grown in a number of different colours, depending on what each person did on Atlantis. Among the first grown were the black crystal beads the off-world teams wore. Those beads not only served as an ID, but also as an IDC and homing beacon when activated. Laura, as one of the women that had been on Athos (the new one) with Torren's party, had a third bead on her string, along with the black team-bead and the blue Atlantis-bead: a glossy brown wooden bead in remembrance of that night. The only problem was that, though she had received her black bead, Laura wasn't allowed off Lantea. After Elizabeth Weir had realised quite a number of her SGA-team members were pregnant, she had taken a very obstinate view: if you're pregnant, you're grounded. And though a number of the SGA-team members had complained to Colonel Sheppard about it, including Laura and Anne Teldy, he had simply folded his arms and told them he was supporting Elizabeth. Already Atlantis was down 3 SGA-teams, but the leaders of their world were adamant. Even Rodney seemed happy about the idea, the traitor!

Turning around, she realised that the spot next to her was empty. Little wonder the silence seemed so complete: Carson was not in bed with her. She loved the man with her whole heart, but she would be the first to admit he was a noisy sleeper. Besides having a constant rumble, he would also at times speak in his sleep. Apparently Duncan did the same and she and Jennifer Keller would often compare notes on those night-time conversations: to the extreme irritation of the Becketts.

Reaching out a hand, she felt spot beside her was cold, meaning he had been gone for a while. She wondered why he hadn't wakened her when he had gotten up. With a slight frown she flipped onto her back, these days the only really comfortable position for her anyway. She and Carson might both be responsible for the making of the little bundle of bloody joy, but she was the one with the expanding waistline. She knew that when the baby was born she would love it dearly – even now she was awed by the idea of life inside her. But that was the problem: she was the one with the belly and the morning sickness and the cravings and Elizabeth telling her she wasn't going anywhere until the kid was safely delivered.

Grinning in the darkness, she tried to imagine Carson with a baby in his arms. He was going to make a great dad, she just knew.

Suddenly her empty bed and silent room seemed unbearably lonely. Quickly she got up and put on a track suit. Slipping her feet into soft slippers, she made her way to the one place Carson would have gone this time of night.

As she entered the infirmary she saw the rumpled head she had been looking for sitting bent over the bed of the sick woman. For a moment she merely stood looking at him, somehow afraid to interrupt. She knew, though, that he would be grateful for the company, so she silently padded over to where he sat.

"Carson?" she softly whispered as she drew near. The man looked up and around at the soft voice behind him. "Oh, Duncan," she amended. Though she could tell the two men apart even before they had gotten their rather ridiculous tattoos, she had to admit she had to see their faces in order to do so. "Have you seen my husband?" she softly asked her brother-in-law – if indeed that was what he was. Technically he wasn't, but nobody was really sure what else to make of the situation, so thinking of him and Carson as twins seemed the easiest.

Duncan smiled slightly. "He's over in the lab trying something I've already tried," he told her. She returned his small smile. Though Carson and Duncan were technically the same person until about two years ago, they had worked hard on creating some subtle differences. Duncan was the one that would often make the more biting comments. She would often see the same thought had occurred to her husband, but in their very complicated relationship, Carson would bite back the comment the same way Duncan would often refrain from making the nice comment. Duncan was also sometimes given to slight self-doubt. She supposed it had something to do with the fact that he had been left on his own for so long, only to find nobody had been looking for him.

Sometimes Laura wondered exactly how much Carson and Duncan were still the same. Could it be that she and Jennifer loved interchangeable men? She hoped not, but still refused to pursue that thought too far. For now she was happy with the way things were, even if they were very strange. After all, though he shared the same memories as Carson up until about three years back, Duncan was only about two years old. And, according to earth, he did not exist. But then again, she did not really blame earth for not understanding. Often she wondered how their strange situation could ever be explained.

As to that, theirs was not really an isolated situation, was it? Lantea was a world packed full of the inexplicable and weird. Their situation was unique, but not rare. There was also Sitnalta, who, though not a clone, had been created through similar technology. The young woman was only a year or so older than Duncan, after all. And of course there was Elizabeth that ran on nanites, Teyla who was part Wraith and Ronon for whom no explanation as of yet has been found. Doctor McKay had almost ascended and once – for a few hours – Colonel Sheppard had lost his hand. Jennifer had almost changed into a Wraith ship (they think) and Laura self had been on Atlantis less than a week when she had been forced to spend a few days inside Rodney's mind. In fact, come to think of it, the only peculiar thing on Lantea was if nothing peculiar hadn't happened to you yet.

Just then her husband of only two days came in, looking tired. He, like the rest of the medical staff, still only wore the single blue bead. Well, except Jennifer, who also had a brown bead. In time, though, they would receive various shades of yellow beads, with the three doctors' the palest shade. Carson brightened when he saw her.

"Hey, love," he greeted her before kissing her lightly on the forehead. "Sorry I didn't wake you, but with the little one you need all the sleep you can get," he tiredly explained her unspoken question of earlier. Worry lines creased his forehead and made him look old. She hated seeing those lines. He was a man only married two days ago. He – and, admittedly, quite a number of the Atlanteans – were supposed to be on their honeymoon. Most of them were. Only Carson, Duncan and their new wives were not off to some remote spot on the mainland. The one behind the idea of the mass wedding had been – of all people – Colonel Sheppard. Lantea's rotation was slightly longer than that of earth, making the Lantean year longer by three days. Before, when they had been worried about going back to earth, they had maintained a synchronous calendar with that planet. Now they had added those three days to February, suddenly making it one of the long months (they no longer celebrated leap year, though). Today, by all calendars, was the 16th of February. A few weeks ago, when Sheppard had realised Valentine's Day was looming on the horison, he had suggested that those who still wanted to get married before the babies arrived could get married on that day. Many had agreed, especially Elizabeth and Teyla. For the past few months the two women had been tasked with marrying people and they had finally reached a point where it was no longer something they wanted to do. A mass wedding had solved that problem. The two Becketts had gotten hitched on that day as well.

"How is she?" she asked her new husband. His eyes seemed to hang even more as he went to stand next to Duncan at the bed.

"We think it might have been something she'd been exposed to in the food at our wedding," he sadly remarked. Gently he stroked the woman's forehead. "We're just happy nobody else got sick," he added.

Laura felt she could burst with biting back the thought that had entered her mind. At the wedding, at the insistence of the Becketts, traditional haggis had been served. If the patient had been anyone else, she would have made some quip about it being that pale grey disgusting dish.

She suddenly realised Carson was looking at her with a slight smile, his head tilted slightly down as if trying to hide that smile. "Oh, you might as well say it," he told her. "Ronon was in here earlier and he'd had no problem telling us it had been the haggis that did it," he explained. "Seeing as nobody else ate of it."

"And I'm sure McKay had started to say the same thing before Sheppard had hit him behind the head," Duncan added with a grin identical to Carson's. Laura smiled at them.

"Well, then I guess I needn't repeat it," she smoothly informed them.

The Becketts frowned at her. "We've tested it, you know, and the poor haggis was innocent," Carson explained. "There was nothing in there that shouldn't be," he added.

Laura wondered at that. She – like many of the inhabitants – had tried the dish before, usually with the familiar buddy-chant of "down, down, down!" Always a sure sign that it had been because of a stupid dare nobody was brave enough not to weasel out of. After just one taste she had been convinced that  _nothing_ in that dish actually belonged there.

She looked at the woman on the bed, wondering what was going through the men's minds. She had come to love the lady as much as the men did, but she knew it was different for them.

Finally she looked at them. "If not the haggis, then what?" she wondered.

This time Duncan answered. "We just don't know."


	2. Chapter 2

_About seven months ago..._

Laura stood to one side of the relatively small crowd gathered on the south pier. It was about midnight and she was part of a small group of people entrusted with the information that within four days they would be stealing the largest ever technological find and returning to the Pegasus galaxy. Elizabeth and Woolsey were explaining to the assembled group about Sitnalta dying because she was connected to Atlantis in some way and how this meant Atlantis was dying. Also, it seemed Woolsey was deliberately standing back as he had explained he was officially handing the city over to doctor Weir. Well, truth is, Laura never foresaw Woolsey fitting in within the world of Atlantis in the first place, but in the end the fussy little man had surprised all of them. Or perhaps the truth is that Atlantis had surprised them: Woolsey had joined the expedition with every intention of turning it around to SGC standards, but in the end Atlantis had changed him to fit  _them_.

Or, perhaps, Atlantis had changed everyone to fit  _her_. Laura shrugged as she decided it did not matter. What did matter was whether she would be going with Atlantis when they left four days from now. Well, she had to admit that to some extent she had made that choice four years ago. When she had returned home from war four years ago, she had been shocked to find her mother was dying and nobody had informed her. Her father should have alerted the Marine Corps to the situation so that she could come home. But in that bull-headed stoic way her parents tended to display their patriotism, both of them had refused to let her 'leave off on a mission for something like this,' as her mom had explained on her death-bed. Laura loved her parents, but somehow she wondered if they did not love the idea of her being a marine more. The day she had been accepted to the Corps might have been the single most memorable day for her parents. And though she loved them very much, the day after her mother's funeral she had gone looking for an assignment as far away from home as she could find. As luck would have it, that mission had presented itself in the form of Atlantis. And one did not volunteer for Atlantis if one ever really thought one would ever go home.

Scanning the crowd, her eyes fell on Jennifer Keller. The young woman was standing with her arm hooked into Duncan's. These past few months she had come to know the woman a lot better. In many ways she considered the child-woman her sister and she was sure that, given the choice, she would gladly stay on Atlantis. After all, many of them had lived through some horrific experiences, only to return to the Pegasus galaxy. Besides, Jennifer's dad had been her entire life, but he had died only a short while ago, leaving Jennifer without family on earth. To her the relationship with Duncan was all she had left.

And Duncan was one of those who would never really be able to return to earth – such as his case was.

As Woolsey continued talking in that formal way of his, Laura made her way over towards the couple standing close together. Carson, her Carson, was in the infirmary, looking after Sitnalta. When she had been informed to saunter over to the south pier if she wanted to be given an alternative to whatever assignment the SGC had in store for her, Carson had informed her he already knew what it was about and thus would stay with Sitnalta while she went to the meeting.

When she reached Jennifer and Duncan, she asked the question that was slowly making its way around the pier: "So, will you stay on earth or leave with Atlantis?" Around her the question seemed to become a whispered chant:  _am I leaving or am I staying_?

Duncan smiled at her and she suspected he had known about this intended  _coup_  for at least as long as Carson had. "Aye, well, I don't really have a future here on earth, now do I?" he wryly commented. There was a world of hurt within his eyes as he said that and Jennifer put her head on his shoulder in support.

"I suppose Atlantis is my home now," the young blonde replied and Laura assumed both their answers meant they would be leaving with Atlantis. It struck her as strange how all three of them had decided to leave with Atlantis when the time came after only about half an hour's consideration.

"I'm leaving as well," Laura told them. Then she frowned. "I wonder what Carson has decided," she added. It suddenly occurred to her she had just assumed he would be leaving as well.

Duncan put a hand on her shoulder as he smiled that reassuring smile he shared with her lover. "I don't know, but I can assure you that, when he joined the expedition five years ago, he had already considered the fact that he might never return to earth again. Back then he had decided to take his chances with the Pegasus Galaxy."

She nodded and as the three of them stood together, listening to the questions of those assembled on the pier, she wondered how it could be that so many people could consider leaving earth forever? Should their planet of birth not mean more to them than this?

#####

Laura smiled as she heard Jennifer's plan unfold. It was nearly two days since they had been told about the  _coup_  and by now many people had already decided upon their future and had gone in search of a way to take their loved ones with them. All of them had been granted the opportunity to seek out any relative they thought might want to leave with Atlantis before the end of the third day and bring them to Atlantis. Yesterday Laura had gone to see her father, but she never even got so far as to tell him about Atlantis, never mind asking him to join her in another galaxy. Her parental home was one of large American flags and trophies and her father could not stop talking about how proud he was of her for fighting for her country every day. She had known then it would break his heart if he knew she had deserted not only the USA, but also earth and their galaxy. He could not understand and never would. So she had told him she had to go on an assignment and had kissed him on the cheek and had left forever. She would never know if she had done the right thing, she only knew she had done the best she could.

Back on Atlantis she had sought comfort from Carson and he had held her tightly and told her he loved her and had assured her he would be leaving with Atlantis as well. He reminded her that once before they had all been set off Atlantis and those months had been the worst of his life. Then he had kissed her on the lips and had turned to check on the dying Sitnalta. Laura had seen something was bothering him, but had been unable to get anything out of him and had left after a while.

But now it seems Jennifer had been able to get from Duncan what she had not been able to pry out of Carson: the reason why both Becketts walked around the city with identical looks of sadness. She also seemed to have come up with the perfect way to make it all better.


	3. Chapter 3

Elizabeth rested her head on her fist, her elbow on her desk, as she scrolled down the document on her laptop. The document, drawn up by Chuck, contained the problem areas, complaints and grievances of the week that needed her attention. It was a longish list, although, admittedly, since they had gotten rid of Peter Kavanagh the 'grievances' part of the list had shrunk to merely a single entry. The grievance concerned the heavy-handed authority of Rodney in the main lab and this was only because SGA-1 had not been on a trip through the stargate in a few days. As soon as she could get McKay off Atlantis on a trip, the complaint will disappear. Although, she had to admit, most of the labbies respected Rodney enough to ignore his abrasive manner. It was just in times when there had not been some major crisis on Atlantis itself that they tend to forget how much they love him. A crisis would solve the problem as easily, but she was not about to pull the entire city into trouble just to soothe a lab tech with ruffled feathers.

She reflected that when she had originally signed up for this mission, this had not been the idea she had concerning her duties. She had imagined a lot more exploring and adventure. Yet, though they were a community of less than a thousand people, she seemed to be constantly bogged down by the responsibilities of making sure everyone did their share. Fortunately the people she had chosen to join the mission from the start were self-sufficient enough not to need much attention. But they made out only a small part of the community by now and though everyone embraced the idea of being Atlantean, they were of such diverse cultures it sometimes seemed impossible to manage.

The list seemed endless, but within an hour or so she had managed to solve most of the problems. Fortunately she could delegate most of the work these days. Military issues were referred to John, science problems to Rodney (except the lab complaint about Rodney) and any issues concerning off-world trade and farming to Teyla. In the big scheme of things, Teyla functioned more like a vice-president than anything else and Elizabeth was thinking about making it official that, should anything happen to her, Teyla should be left in charge. Of course John would still maintain the authority to invoke martial law when needed. Medical matters were referred to Carson.

On the list of those working under her, another name had proven to be invaluable to the budding community. Though Keras was by nature a soft-spoken, friendly man, he was turning out to be an excellent leader and had taken responsibility for those working as artisans in Atlantis. Basically he made sure those who were not military, scientific or farming were kept happy. He now lived permanently on Atlantis, but as one of the first not-earth humans to successfully receive the ATA gene therapy, he spent quite a lot of time shuttling between Atlantis and Athosia in his puddle jumper. Also, his romance with the jeweller Sophia was flourishing and Elizabeth suspected he might be planning on making their arrangement more permanent.

A short report on the patient currently in the infirmary by Jennifer Keller caused her to pause for a moment. She hardly knew the woman, yet she knew how much she meant not only to Carson and Duncan, but also to Jennifer and Laura, the two new brides.

"Doctor Weir, you'd better come hear this," Chuck suddenly interrupted her work. She looked up to find him standing in the doorway to her office, an easy excitement about him. He was another one of those unplanned treasures. Though she had originally selected him for the Atlantis mission in order to work as gate technician, he had adopted a new role all on his own. Amelia Banks was training one of the kids from M7G-677 as a technician and already the young man, Beril, was proving to be a real whiz. This left Chuck with some time on hands and he had opted to adopt Elizabeth as his boss: though a trained technician, he now acted more like her PA than anything else. Elizabeth was only too happy about the situation.

"What is it?" she asked Chuck even as she got up from behind her desk. As her PA he took his job seriously and would not bother her unless the situation really required her attention. She joined him at the door where he stood waiting.

"A young woman dialled the gate, using the IDC we gave Draven Navac a few weeks ago," he started his explanation as they made their way down the short corridor to the control room.

"It would not be the first Satedans to make contact with us," she gently prodded. Of the group called 'The Forty' that had served under Draven Navac, two teams had already joined the Atlanteans, bringing the total of Satedans in the city to eight; not including Ronon. Though Satedan by birth, he had given his loyalty to Atlantis and now considered himself to be Atlantean. He also wore the blue bead in his hair, not the dark brown one of the Satedans. Another group wanting to come here hardly merited her attention, though.

Chuck nodded as he came to a stop next to Amelia, who was also regarding her with wide eyes. "Yes, but this woman said she would only talk to either you or her brother," he informed her; piquing her curiosity. She was also aware that he was drawing out the moment to its full dramatic potential. He took a breath. "She says her name is Ella Dex," he finally dropped the other shoe.

She lifted an eyebrow. "Dex?" she asked. "As in Ronon Dex?" she made sure. Chuck nodded.

It was Amelia that answered from behind her consol. "I didn't even know he had a sister," she remarked. Elizabeth looked at her and smiled slightly.

"Considering what we don't know about Ronan, I'm not surprised." She turned to look at the swirling blue gate, almost as if she could see through it to the woman on the other side. "Have you managed to contact Ronan yet," she asked either Amelia or Chuck over her shoulder without looking at either; her attention still focussed on the floor below.

"Colonel Sheppard informed us they would be out of range of the gate on their side for a few hours," Chuck carefully answered. She turned to look at the young man.

"And why wasn't I informed about this?" she demanded. Perhaps the one thing she would not delegate or be flexible about was the status of her SGA teams. If even one of them suffered a stubbed toe that prevented them from returning within the allotted time, she wanted to know immediately. When the team concerned was SGA-1 the rule counted doubly. Not only was her husband on that team, but also two of her leaders.

Behind Chuck Amelia punched his leg. "I told you we needed to tell her," she informed Chuck, who stood there looking guilty.

"Next time, I want to know as soon as an SGA team reports in, understood?" she firmly told the two technicians. Both hastily told her they understood. With a final glance at them, she turned her attention back to the stargate. "Why hasn't Ella Dex come through the stargate?" she wanted to know. Just as she spoke the familiar  _shoop_  resounded through the room and the gate disengaged. Now she only had a darkened ring to stare at. She frowned; turning her body slightly towards the two technicians as she spoke. "What happened?"

"Ella Dex says she will only speak to you or Ronon and she won't come to Atlantis until she has spoken to either of you. In fact," Chuck continued and she turned to look at him because of his tone. His tone was worried. "She gave us coordinates for a planet and told us to meet her there within the next few hours." He looked at Amelia for a moment. "We still couldn't reach Ronon and she will leave if he doesn't go there."

Elizabeth stared at the young man; trying to determine if that was the totality of the news they had to give her. Apparently they had, as they both looked away and at the dark gate. Also, a plan was forming in her head. Knowing their reaction, she smiled at them in a slightly conspiratorial way. "Lorne's team is on Atlantis, aren't they?" she asked while knowing full well the truth. Neither Lorne nor any of his team had been married the previous day and they were put on alert for just such an occasion. At the moment they were probably off showing the two Satedan teams around the city. Apparently John had convinced the Satedans that they were to team up with existing SGA teams and were at first going to be responsible for the security of the city.

"Doctor Weir," Chuck frowned at her. "You are going to get yelled at," he warned as he apparently understood the plan Elizabeth was about to propose. Elizabeth lowered her head to regard the young man.

"If that is indeed Ronon's sister, we need to get her to Atlantis before she disappears," she stated the fact hanging between them. "If that means I need to go meet her somewhere, then that is a risk we will have to take," she added.

"Colonel Sheppard won't like it," Amelia added with a frown of her own. Since he had heard he was to become a dad and had married Elizabeth, John had become a very responsible spouse and a bit of a worry-wat. Ironically, the greatest part of Atlantis seemed to worry along with him over his wife and unborn child. It drove Elizabeth up the walls even as it made her feel the one thing she had thought she would not find: contentment. Her days were busy and long and she suddenly found herself married and pregnant and she had never been happier or more content in her life. She just sometimes wished everyone would first listen to her and then worry about what John will say.

"This is something we need to do," she told them even if she knew she did not need to explain her decision to them.

Amelia and Chuck looked at one another with pained expressions. Then Chuck looked at her while Amelia looked down at her control panel. "I know," he finally said. Then he sighed and straightened his back. "But I'm coming with," he informed her. She decided she might as well allow him to go with her and nodded.

"I'm going to change," she informed them before turning and heading towards her room.


	4. Chapter 4

_About seven months ago..._

In the end they took Chuck with them. There wasn't really a good reason why they did, except perhaps that conspiracies such as this one did not seem complete with only two conspirators. Okay, so 'conspiracy' was perhaps too strong a word for what they were doing. Though they were scheming together and would be doing something in secret, their plan lacked something the best laid conspiracies did: an evil ending. Their plot was for the best of intentions and did only in secret because failure would hurt those who knew about it. The less people knew about the scheme, the less people would get hurt.

As the puddle jumper glided through the upper levels of the atmosphere, Laura wondered at the reason for bringing Chuck along. It wasn't that they needed him to pilot the jumper: Laura could do that. And it wasn't exactly as if they were going to ambush a Wraith ship, so she and Jennifer hardly needed the back-up. Yet, even as they had discussed their plans in the quiet of the infirmary, they had known the plot would be incomplete without an accomplice. And the chosen candidate had turned out to be Chuck. Okay, he was their friend and they both seem to feel towards him as a brother. Perhaps that was it: though he was cute enough, Chuck was safe. He was a friend and confidant and often seemed more like one of the 'girls' than anything else. Not that he was gay, to be fair. It was just that not once had either of them felt the slightest pang of attraction towards him. And, of course, there was always his incredible loyalty towards Atlantis. From the start he had been one of the first to proclaim his intention of joining the conspirators (those who planned to steal Atlantis from the IOA, and for them the term 'conspiracy' was apt) in the Pegasus galaxy. Yet Laura sometimes wondered if his loyalty was really to Atlantis, or to the leaders of Atlantis. She suspected he somehow saw Elizabeth and Colonel Sheppard as a kind of king and queen that had been placed under a curse of some kind. Only in this fantasy the magical kingdom was Atlantis, the evil sorcerer had been that Replicator guy and the curse had been the nanites. In all honesty it was a nice fantasy and one almost worth fighting for. She knew, though, that their king and queen had better sort out their differences/curse before too long, or it would become rather tiresome and the sparkle of it will fade; almost like a series that has gone on too long without ever going anywhere.

Laura suddenly realised that the only light inside the jumper was that from its internal lighting: the jumper had rounded the curve of the earth and had left daylight behind. Usually they would have planned the trip so that the eight hours difference would not be a problem, but they had less than twenty-four hours before said king and queen (and their lackey Rodney) intended to steal the space-city and they would need every moment of those hours to pull off their scheme.

"They didn't really give us much time to prepare," Jennifer spoke the thought that had been in Laura's mind. Smiling at her probably-soon-to-be-sister-in-law, Laura nodded.

"Yeah, but do you really want Atlantis to become the victim of someone like Kavanagh?" she asked. These past few weeks the scientist had been pissing her – and most other people – off in spades. In fact, the only reason she hadn't Wraith-stunned his ass was because Doctor Lee of the SGC had confided in her that it was a spectacular sight to see Kavanagh pass out from fear. So since then she had been attempting to do just that; a petty distraction, but a needed one.

To this statement Jennifer shrugged, but she grinned as well. "I never really believed the stories everyone told about him until last month," she admitted. "Now I'm more than convinced and would be happy to stand in the long line of those wanting to shoot him. I'll even doctor him to health in between shots just so that we can do it all over again," she gleefully added and Chuck laughed out loud from where he was piloting the jumper.

"I never knew you were so bloodthirsty," he exclaimed with glee. Jennifer looked slightly abashed.

"Well, I wouldn't  _really_  break my Hippocratic oath like that," she quickly amended. Chuck laughed even more and she blushed. "No!" she exclaimed as she realised what that must have sounded like. "I wouldn't  _shoot_  him, but I would try and heal him," she explained, making Laura laugh as well. Jennifer pouted. "Fine, have it your way," she finally mumbled, but Laura could see she wanted to laugh as well.

"Don't worry, we'll never tell," Laura commented. Jennifer smiled sweetly.

"Oh, thank you very much," she commented just as Chuck called up a street-plan of the town they were hovering over on the HUD. In the tradition of real geekdom, Chuck really loved playing with the Head's-Up Display of the jumper.

"Where do you want me to put this baby down?" he asked of the women, turning his head in their direction but not taking his eyes from the display for a single moment.

Both Laura and Jennifer leaned over to look at the intricate map displayed in front of them, obscuring the lights of the small town outside. According to the HUD, they were hovering just a few feet above the highest building.

"Well," Jennifer said as she leaned over and touched a point on the HUD map, "this is where we're heading," she told them Laura had no reason to doubt her. Though neither Duncan nor Carson had visited here, Laura had made a point of getting Duncan to tell her where they needed to go. The weird part was that Duncan did not even suspect. Whereas everyone always suspected Laura of plotting something, Jennifer could ask the same questions in that little-girl voice of hers and nobody would even think to wonder about her sincerity. Not even Duncan, who had been dating her for nearly a year now, ever suspected. "We can't park the jumper in the middle of the street, though," the blonde doctor added. "I would suggest you put down here," she decided as she pointed to another spot on the HUD. "I think it's a small park just outside town. We can walk from there."

Chuck agreed and moments later they set down on what indeed turned out to be a small park, but not one entirely outside of town. On their left the rest of the town ended, but to their right lights came from a very modern, ugly building. Judging by the people gathered outside it, it was a night-club of some kind. It even had a number of taxis parked outside, waiting to transport young people back home sometime in the dark hours of the night.

"Or we could take a taxi," Laura happily exclaimed. In all the years they had been going through the gate, it had become a standard joke that the first town was always ‘just a few brisk miles' walk uphill’ from the gate. A taxi would be a nice alternative, especially as it was raining like crazy outside.

"That would be great, except how would we explain our military dress to the cabby?" Chuck asked.

"Um," Jennifer drew their attention with a soft sound. "I might be new at this perhaps, but did any of you bring any money with you?" she carefully asked.

"I've got a few dollars," Chuck piped up, but then an awful silence descended upon the group. "Um..." he finally tried again. "I don't suppose they use American dollars over here, do they?" he finally added and Laura grimaced. Life on Atlantis had spoiled them. Though they regularly went all over the galaxy, they never took any money with them. What would be the use, after all? And most of their trips from Atlantis these past few weeks had been to parties and stuff, where they had not needed wallets and things as mundane as cash. Then another thought struck her.

"Did any of you bring your passports?" she wondered. She frowned. "In fact, I think mine expired last year," she worriedly added.

"Well, we are Americans," Jennifer tried to cheer them up. "Besides, we won't really need any identification, as we're not going to stay in a hotel or something," she happily added, but Chuck and Laura frowned.

"Cool, but without cash we're going to have to walk," he informed them and the inside of the jumper fell into an uncomfortable silence. They were, compared to where they had been these past few years, basically on their own doorstep, yet they had already forgotten some of the rules of the game. Laura knew that had they set out in civvies, they would have remembered their wallets and stuff. But they had all felt this was a mission to be performed not only as individuals, but as representatives of Atlantis. She knew for a fact she had two bars of chocolate, a power bar and a bottle of water on her, as well as numerous other items always packed for a mission through the gate. Unfortunately they hadn't gone through the gate, but had flown to Scotland.

"Why is it that I feel more at home in the Pegasus galaxy than here in another English-speaking country back on good old earth?" Chuck mused. He sighed. "Okay, I can still try and land us closer to the..."

"No!" Laura exclaimed. "We're breaching enough protocols here as it is," she interrupted her friend. "We'll walk," she adamantly informed them and both Chuck and Jennifer sighed as they exchanged a look. Then Jennifer shrugged and patted Laura on the shoulder.

"As you wish, big sis," she sweetly agreed and Laura thought she would gladly Wraith-stun the other woman along with Kavanagh at that moment.


	5. Chapter 5

The planet Elizabeth, SGA-2 and Chuck found themselves on the moment they stepped through the gate, was shrouded in darkness. As they had come prepared for any eventuality, they quickly put on their night vision goggles. Well, that is: everyone except Elizabeth. With a frown she looked at the five men surrounding her like an honour guard.

"Surely it's not that dark?" she asked of them, wondering why they were all wearing their goggles. Though the light was dim, she could see quite clearly. It was no darker than the average full moon night on earth.

"It's dark, all right," one of Lorne's men, the scientist Parish, told her. She was not overly fond of the hyper-active man and she was not even sure why Lorne had requested the scientist to be on his team, seeing as every report had indicated that the two of them had not gotten along on that first mission they were together.

Looking around her at the starlit field, Elizabeth realised why she was able to see and they not: those damn nanites. "Well, I'm sure John will be happy with the news," she muttered to herself. As if she really needed another reason to be worried about the babies she carried.

"Ma'am?" Lorne asked in that formal way of his and she smiled at him in answer. No need to freak him out even more than he already was. As she had suspected, the entire SGA-2 had not been happy with the knowledge that they were to escort her through the gate. They had not balked at the order, but she could see they were considering their fate when they got back to Atlantis. Well, they were marines: they could tough it out.

"Any life-signs?" she asked in reply, indicating the LSR (it used to be Life-Signs Detector, until someone pointed out the unfortunate abbreviation; now they referred to it as a Life-Signs Reader) Lorne was holding. In the classic way the teams had of simultaneously holding the P-90 and the LSR, Lorne looked like a clown trying unsuccessfully to juggle. The P-90 really did not leave one a free hand to use.

Lorne turned a couple of times as he tried to get his bearings. With her nanite-enhanced vision she could see there were no visible landmarks and she knew they would be strongly relying on the LSR to get them back to the gate. The entire area around the gate was completely bereft of any vegetation or landmarks. It was merely a flat expanse of dark rock that seemed to go on forever in every direction. It was perhaps one of the scariest places she had ever seen.

"There's a number of blips in that direction," Lorne finally replied as he stood facing back the way they had come. Elizabeth also turned to look in the direction he was looking, but even with her enhanced vision she couldn't see any people.

"Exactly what do you mean by 'a number of blips'?" she asked the team leader of SGA-2. She knew Lorne as well as most of the other team leaders, yet she did not know him well enough to be familiar with his idea of 'a number of blips.'

Lorne leaned over slightly so she could see the LSR he was holding in his one hand; looking slightly ridiculous. "The life signs are too far away for the LSR to show every individual," he explained.

"So there could be five or there could be twenty," Elizabeth clarified and Lorne looked slightly uncomfortable.

"Well, I've also found a number of rock formations that emit energy readings comparable to those the LSR reads as life signs," Parish piped up and Elizabeth raised an eyebrow in his direction.

"Yes, I've read the report," she informed him. Then she tilted her head slightly in the direction of 'the number of blips.' "But let's go find out if these blips aren't the people we've been expecting," she informed him. Years ago she had learned the trick of giving an order that sounded like a suggestion, but wasn't. Nobody ever questioned those suggestions.

"My money is on those being people, not rocks," Chuck muttered behind her as they set out in the direction indicated on the LSR. Lorne held the small device, provided by the puddle jumper, in front of him like an ancient relic. Well, at least the 'ancient' part of it was correct. But these past few years she, and most of the Atlanteans, has been disillusioned in their awe towards the Ancients. Once, Elizabeth had dreamt of nothing so much as meeting the people that had built the stargates. Now, with a few years and an equal amount of bad meetings with them, she hoped never to lay eyes on them again. Though they were technologically advanced, they were arrogant and enormously stuck-up on their own importance.

"I wouldn't take that bet," Lorne replied. "One of those blips just detached themselves from the rest and is heading this way."

With those words, the men surrounding Elizabeth became even more alert. With the exception of Lorne, who was holding the LSR, everyone had their P-90's firmly gripped in both hands and was walking in that weird crab-like way she knew they had when they tried to make themselves smaller targets. She, on the other hand, did not carry a gun. Instead she walked in the centre of the group with head held high. With her newly discovered enhanced vision, she was starting to make out the shape of the person coming their way. Though the person was too far away to determine anything about them, she was sure it was a woman. The way the person walked reminded her of the way Teyla walked: like a warrior, but a warrior with hips.

After a while even the men were able to see the figure approaching them, and by then Elizabeth was sure it was a woman. Another minute brought the Atlanteans and the woman together. Both the Atlantean party and the woman stopped a few feet away from each other, boldly assessing one another. From her spot in the middle of the five men, Elizabeth could clearly see the woman, but knew the other's view of her was slightly obstructed. Until Lorne and his team was sure the stranger wasn't a threat, that would be the way it stayed, she knew.

The woman opposite the group was slightly older than Elizabeth, perhaps in her early forties, with wide shoulders and an overall look of a female Viking warrior.

"Ella Dex?" Elizabeth finally asked; unwilling to let the silence continue any longer.

The woman shook her head. "My name is Farna Mase," she replied. She was looking directly at Elizabeth as she spoke. "You were told Ella would only speak to you or Ronon," she accused. "You are Doctor Weir, aren't you?"

Elizabeth lowered her chin, unwilling to let this Amazon intimidate her. "I am Elizabeth Weir, yes," she informed Farna. "As it is quite obvious that Ella did not deem it important enough to come alone to this meeting, it would seem only fair that I bring my own escort as well," she loftily told her. She would be damned if this woman would dictate the terms of this meeting. As Ronon's sister, Elizabeth was willing to give Ella the benefit of the doubt, but this woman was merely annoying her.

Instead of continuing to look formidable, Farna suddenly smiled. "Draven's pet told us you were not easy to manipulate," she informed the group at large and Elizabeth wondered at the peculiar phrase referring to Draven Navac. She had assumed these people would be friends of his, but this woman did not seem to be overly fond of the leader of The Forty. With the same smile she held out her hands towards Elizabeth. Cradled within it was a weapon like the one Ronon carried. "Ella wishes you to have this," she announced.

This was not what Elizabeth had had in mind when they had come here. With some trepidation she looked at the gun, then at Farna. Her eyes then quickly travelled to the men around her, only to find all of them looking back at her. When her eyes met Lorne's he merely shrugged. Obviously the next move was hers.

Stepping out from between the two men in front of her, Lorne and his second in command, Lieutenant Harold Sherman – both of whom stepped slightly aside and mostly lowered their guns – she reached out and took the weapon from the large, strong woman. "Thank you," she said and inclined her head slightly. "But we didn't come here to be bribed," she added for good measure.

Farna laughed: a loud and booming laugh that had her throwing her head back in mirth. When she had finished she turned and gestured for them to follow. "Come, Ella will like you," she added by way of an invitation. And so the seven of them, SGA-2, Elizabeth, Chuck and Farna, set off in the direction from which the other woman had come. The trek took another half an hour, but finally the terrain started to offer a few scattered boulders. It was on one of these large boulders that they found the rest of the group waiting for them. At the front was another woman, this one hardly more than a girl and Elizabeth immediately knew her to be Ella Dex. Though she didn't resemble Ronon at all, she had the same way of looking at one as did her brother. Also, she had a similar head of dreadlocks. Not that Ronon still wore his dreads. The woman was small and delicate, with large dark eyes and dark hair and a number of tattoos on her neck and hands. Behind her sat four men; all of them sporting the tattooed insignia Elizabeth had come to know on their necks. If Ella was the epitome of small delicacy, they were the epitome of large and intimidating. Short: they resembled most of the other Satedan men Elizabeth had ever met.

Stepping out behind the men and Farna, Elizabeth walked up to Ella and slightly inclined her head. "You wished to see me?" she began; tired of being manipulated and tested.

Ella smiled slightly as she stood up. She reminded Elizabeth of Sitnalta, only darker. "I am surprised they allowed you off Lantea in your condition," she said as she indicated Elizabeth's slightly rounded belly.

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes, annoyed. She had been sure the pregnancy hardly showed when she had left, especially with the BDU's she was wearing. "Ronon was not available," she informed their hostess. "Believe me, the only reason we are here is because of our respect for your brother," she firmly added.

Ella nodded; looking sad. "Yes, I know," she replied. She looked behind her at her team, then at Elizabeth and hers. Then she sighed. "My team and I – well, Jackon and my team, really – wish to join you on Atlantis," she began and Elizabeth wondered which of the men Jackon were. "But first we need to tell you something. Something about the Devil."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: At this stage I would like to thank Ella Dex, the writer and not the character, for lending me...well...Ella Dex. Reading her story I really loved the character she created to be Ronon's sister and she was graceful enough to allow me to use her. Though I will only use the basic character, anyone that wants to read where I got her can, look up Ella Dex on Fanfiction. The moment where Ronon and Ella meet for the first time in years is really a powerful moment, worth reading. Thanks again, Ella!


End file.
